Electric sign controller



F. C. REILLY ELECTRIC SIGN CONTRQLLER Filed July 29, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheetl A RNEY Jaln.21,1936. F, C. REILLY n 2,028,521

ELECTRIC SIGN CONTROLLER l Filed July 29, 1932 2 Shets-Sheet 2 INVENTORRNEY Y k Ekki/ly @111m Patented Jan. 21, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE ELECTRIC SIGN CONTROLLER Frank C. Reilly, New York, N. Y.

Application July 29, 1932, Serial No. 626,192

1 Claim.

This invention relates to control mechanism of the type covered byPatent 1,451,112, April 10,A

1923, wherein a talking sign effect is attained by a perforated stripcontrolling a bank of contacts connected with the lamps or light unitsof the sign.

Special objects of the invention are to improve the mechanism forhandling the travelling tape or record strip, so as to insure the samerunning straight and true and under proper tension; to simplify andfacilitate the threading of the record strip through the machine and tobetter the machine generally in various practical respects.

These objects and others are attained by certain novel features ofconstruction, combinations and relations of parts as hereinafterillustrated and broadly claimed.

The drawings accompanying and forming part of this specicationillustrate certain embodiments of the invention, but it will be realizedthat the actual physical structure may be modied as regards thisparticular illustration, all within the true and broad intent of theclaim.

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of one practical embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 1a is a detail of the equalizer or bridle construction.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the machine.

Figs. 3 and 4 are enlarged cross-sectional detail views as on lines 3-3and 4--4 of Fig. l.

Fig. 5 is a broken fragmentary detail illustrating construction andoperation of the circuit controlling contacts.

In Fig. 1, the control tape or strip is shown at 1, laced back and forthbetween the upper fixed rolls 8 and the lower movable set of rolls 9 andextending from the lower edge guiding and positioning roller I0, upthrough the contact bank at Il to the driving roll l2, which asindicated in Fig. 2, operates from motor I3 through suitable reductiongearing I4.

The movable set of rolls are shown as carried by a frame I5, hinged atone end at I6 and connected at its opposite end at I1, with an endlessbelt or sprocket chain I8, arranged vertically on upper and lowersprockets I9, 23, the upper being adapted to be turned from a hand wheel2|, through worm gearing or other suitable gearing 22.

By means of this hand wheel control, the lower roller frame may beeither raised or lowered and be held supported by the sprocket chain orby the runs of tape, or partly by both. In Fig. 1, the roller frame isshown hung from the loops of record tape -and hence tensioning the tapeby its (Cl. 'Z4-242.15)

entire Weight, This condition may be varied at will. Thus by turning thehand wheel in one direction, the chain may be utilized to lift the frameso as to wholly or partially relieve the tape of the'weight of the frameand by turning the handle in the opposite direction, the chain may beused to pull down on the frame and hence add a positive force to thetensioning of the tape. The worm gearing is desirable both for theaccuracy of adjustment and for the self-locking feature.

For convenience in threading the records, the lower rolls are shownpivoted at one side of the frame as indicated at 23, Fig. 4, as-in thepatent above referred to, but in the present form of machine, the freeends of the shafts 24 carrying the rollers are held in the open sockets25 in the side of the frame by an overstanding guard in the form of abar 26, sliding over the top of the frame and movably and adjustablyheld by thumb screws 21 received through open slots 28 in the inner sideof the bar. At the ends, this bar is shown as slidably held to the frameby the pins or studs 29 received in the closed slots 30, the latterlimiting the outward opening movement ci the sliding guard, preventingits separation from the frame and assuring proper support of the samewhile the 'rollers are being adjusted.

It is important both that the tensioning rolls be at the proper heightand be accurately leveled, so as to keep the strip` from tracking to oneside or the other. Accordingly, vertical adjustment of the pivoted endof the tensioning frame is provided by mounting the pivot shaft or studl5 in a bracket member 3l, designed to seat inside the corner angles 32of the supporting frame and cooperating with a bracket member 33,engaging outside the corner angles to constitute a clamp adjustably heldin the selected position on the supporting frame by the clamp bolts 34.Relative angular adjustment of these two clamp members is made possibleby providing enlarged bolt openings 35 in the outer clamp part and meansfor effecting such adjustment is present in the disclosure in the formof a hand screw 35, threaded in a lug 31 on one end of the clamp part 3|and engaging an outstanding lug 33 on the corresponding end of the otherclamp part 33. It will be apparent, that by somewhat loosening one ormore of the bolts 34 which secure the clamp parts on the supportingframe, the two clamp parts may be relatively shifted or twisted byadjustment of hand screw 3B to rock the tensioning frame transversely tocause the strip to track properly.

The lower guide roll ID is shown supported by a similar adjustable clampconstruction, the corresponding parts being similarly numbered in Figs.1 and 4. This guide roll is .shown as having flanges 39 serving as edgegages for the strip and it will be evident that by adjusting themounting of the roll vertically and transversely after the mannerdescribed in connection with the tensioning frame, this roll may be madeto direct the strip straight and true up through the contact bank.

The lower guide roll is shown as seated in open bearings ll in itssupporting bracket 4l and as removably held therein by the pivotedlatches or dogs 42, which when thrown back permit this roll to be liftedout of its bearings.

To cause the strip to run straight and free through the control box, theback plate 43 which is opposed to and cooperates with the springcontacts 44 is shown as pivotally hung at 45, on the supporting bars0.15, Fig. 3, so that it may rock on these vertical pivots and henceadjust itself to the strip passing over the face of the same and to thecontacts bearing against said strips.

The board may be locked in the position of such adjustment as by meansof the positioning studs4 47, engaged with opposite edge portions of thesame and secured in adjusted relation on the base of the contact bank bylock nuts IBS.

To facilitate the placing of the strip in the control boX, the backplate $3 is mounted so that it may be swung to an open position as bythe construction shown in Figs. 1 and 3, where the bars 56 areillustrated as hinged at 49 each at one end andas caught at the oppositeend by thumb screw 5l) on a swinging toggle link 5i. It will be evidentthat upon loosening thumb screws 50, thus releasing the toggle links 5i,the back board or panel 43 may be swung open to uncover the bank ofcontacts and open up this portion of the apparatus to freely receive thestrip.

The contacts are of special design as shown in Fig. 5, comprising springbrushes 411i set in the ends of tubular mounts 52, held in an insulatingpanel 53 and separated in rows at their terminal ends by strips ofinsulation 5d. These strips aid in holding apart the wires which areentered in the openings 55 and held by the screws 56 in the ends of thebrush tubes.

The perforated strip is held to the feed roll l2 by a spring tensionedpressure roll 57, Figs. 1 and 2, mounted in a bracket 58 carried by thestuds 59, sliding in a stationary supporting bracket 68. Springs Siengaged on these studs and bearing against the supporting frame thrustthe pressure roll against the strip extending about the feed roll.Retraction of this pressure roll is effected in the illustration by ahandle 62, pivoted on the central one of the studs 5S, against a stopshoulder 63, Fig. 2, and having a lug il, riding over a stationary camE5. In the position illustrated, with the lug engaged. with the llowpart of the cam, the roller is thrust forward by the springs tol holdthe strip engaged in driven relation with the feed roll. By rotatingthis lever so as to carry the lug over the incline of the cam, it willbe evident that the pressure roll will be drawn back away from the feedroll to permit placing the strip about this roll.

The feed roll may be rubber-faced to frictionally engage the tape. Attimes it is desirable to remove and replace this feed roll. To make thisoperation easy, the outer bearing 55 for the feed roll is shown asremovably secured at 6l to the end of the supporting bracket 53.

For detecting breakage of the record strip, a roll 69 is shown in Figs.l and 2 pivoted on the frame at 'l in position to bear against theupwardly running stretch of the tape and having an outwardly projectingarm ll, carrying a contact 'l2 for engagement with a relativelystationary contact 13. These contacts'may be connected with a relay orbe otherwise connected to effect the stopping of the machine in case ofbreakage of the strip. This detector roll is placed between the feedroll and the contact bank at a position where the drag is heaviest andbreakage most likely to occur in case of weakness of the strip.

The drive roller is located directly above the switch bank, making themachine compact as to design. The adjustment of the guide roll at thefoot of the contact bank or switch box, together with the adjustabilityof the roll carrying frame, makes it possible to accurately line up thetape and keep it running straight and true without any side weave.

To equalize the pull on the roll carrying frame, the chain I8 may beconnected to the ring 'l5 attached by links '16 to the end of the frameas indicated in Figs. 1 and 1a.

What is claimed is:

In a machine of the character disclosed, a roll carrying frame pivotallysupported at one end, an equalizing bridle attached to the opposite endof said pivoted roll carrying frame and a flexible connection engagedwith said bridle for raising and lowering said end of the frame.

FRANK C. REILLY.

